The Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development (CJID) has announced seven Nigerian media organisations as the inaugural beneficiaries of its Local Media Sustainability Fund (LMSF), a flagship initiative designed to strengthen the long-term sustainability of independent local media across West Africa.
The announcement comes at a critical moment for journalism across the region. Local media organisations are increasingly operating in an environment marked by declining advertising revenues, changing audience consumption patterns, the dominance of global technology platforms in the digital advertising market, and tightening international support for media development. While funding has traditionally focused on supporting journalism projects and investigative reporting, comparatively less attention has been paid to strengthening the institutions that produce public-interest journalism. However, the distinction matters because if independent journalism is to endure, then independent newsrooms must also endure.
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It is against this backdrop that CJID established the Local Media Sustainability Fund—to support not only journalism, but the resilience, independence, and long-term viability of the newsrooms that make it possible.
The inaugural cohort comprises Development Reporting, FactsMatterNG, Development News Network DNN News, Confiance News, Inside the Niger Delta, EduGist, and Sapientia International Media Centre. Together, the organisations reflect the diversity of Nigeria’s independent media ecosystem, serving communities through public-interest journalism across governance, democracy, development, education, and accountability.
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The organisations were selected following CJID’s Media Sustainability Workshop held in Lagos in April 2026, where participating newsrooms engaged in practical sessions on organisational resilience, financial management, audience development, governance, editorial independence, revenue diversification, and long-term institutional planning.
As part of the programme, each organisation will receive funding to produce public-interest journalism focusing on human rights, democracy, and accountability. Beyond financial support, participating organisations will undertake a three-month institutional development programme combining newsroom coaching, technical assistance, mentorship, peer learning, and access to experts in financial management, editorial leadership, communications, fundraising, governance, and organisational development.
The Local Media Sustainability Programme is built around a dual objective of supporting impactful journalism while helping news organisations strengthen the systems, leadership, and business models needed to remain sustainable. Throughout the pilot, participating organisations will develop newsroom sustainability plans with continued technical support from CJID.
The programme was first introduced during the launch of the CJID Openness Index in 2025 as part of CJID’s broader vision for strengthening independent journalism and building resilient media institutions across West Africa.
According to Dapo Olorunyomi, Chief Executive Officer of CJID, the sustainability of journalism is inseparable from the sustainability of democracy.
“The future of democracy depends not only on the quality of journalism we produce, but also on the strength of the institutions that produce it. Across West Africa, local media are often the first to report issues that affect people’s daily lives, hold public officials accountable, and ensure that communities are not left out of national conversations. Yet these organisations are also among the most financially vulnerable.
“For too long, conversations about media support have focused primarily on content. That remains important, but strong journalism also requires strong institutions with sound governance, sustainable business models, capable leadership, and the resilience to withstand political and economic pressures. Through the Local Media Sustainability Fund, CJID is investing in the long-term capacity of local newsrooms because protecting independent media is ultimately about protecting democratic societies.”
The Local Media Sustainability Programme reflects CJID’s commitment to helping build stronger, more resilient media institutions. By combining catalytic funding with technical support, leadership development, peer learning, and institutional accompaniment, we hope to demonstrate that investing in the sustainability of local newsrooms is one of the most important investments we can make in the future of democracy across our region.”
CJID’s Executive Director, Akintunde Babatunde, described the inaugural cohort as the first step in a long-term institutional commitment to strengthening local journalism across West Africa.
“This programme is intentionally designed to go beyond conventional newsroom grants. We are pairing catalytic funding with structured technical support, mentorship, and organisational development because sustainable journalism requires sustainable institutions.
This first cohort represents the beginning of what we envision as a tiered support ecosystem for local media in the sub-region. Over the next five years, our ambition is to support at least 100 local and community media organisations across West Africa—helping them strengthen governance, diversify revenue, improve operational resilience, and remain editorially independent while continuing to produce journalism that advances democracy, accountability, and informed public participation.”
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The Southern Nigeria cohort represents the first phase of the Fund’s rollout. A second cohort focusing on Northern Nigeria will be announced in November 2026, reflecting CJID’s phased approach to building a nationwide network of resilient local media organisations.
The project is implemented by the Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development (CJID) with support from the Royal Norwegian Embassy in Nigeria as part of efforts to strengthen independent media and democratic resilience.
About the Local Media Sustainability Fund
The Local Media Sustainability Fund (LMSF) is CJID’s flagship initiative for strengthening the long-term resilience of independent local and community media organisations across West Africa. Combining catalytic funding with institutional capacity building, newsroom coaching, technical assistance, and peer learning, the programme seeks to help local media organisations build enduring institutions capable of producing high-quality public-interest journalism that advances accountability, democracy, and civic participation.
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